Date of Destiny
by FlamingWolf
Summary: Subtitled "Impossible". This is a new version of a fic I started almost eight years ago. It fills in some of the gaps in the AC storyline, but there is an original character to make this possible. Treize's manipulations of the series are made clear.


_After Colony 184_

_ The waves crashed against the rocky beach of the small island out in the middle of the bay. The young princess giggled and splashed as the waves washed over her ankles. The butler watched with amused tolerance as she got her white play dress completely soaked._

_ Nearby, two other children rested after having devoured their picnic lunch. In the shade of a tall tree, Prince Milliardo sat watching his sister with a combination of fondness and irritation. Beside him, her dress tucked daintily around her knees, sat his best friend- six year old Lady Daegil, the youngest of three children of one of the dukes of his father's kingdom. He knew that most boys his age didn't play with girls, but being the heir to a kingdom, the list of acceptable playmates was very small. And Leila was a good sort, for a girl. Despite current appearances, the young friends had met when the then-four year old prince had been throwing a temper tantrum. A mudball had acquired powers of flight and smacked the toddling Lady upside the face. Instead of crying, the little girl had gravely wiped the mud off, inspected it for a moment, and then thrown it back, spattering the prince's play clothes and sparking a glorious fight that had lasted until both of them were spanked. The two had been nearly inseparable ever since._

_ When not watching little Relena, as they had been charged to do, the two children were comparing the rocks they had found along the shore during the course of the morning, giggling and arguing over whose collection was better. He had shown her an ugly spider, and she had retaliated by catching a frog when he wasn't watching and putting it down the back of his neck. In short, the aristocratic children were having a normal day on the beach._

_ That all changed in a moment. _

_ The drone of machines filled the sky. Leila, fond of flying, stood up to see whether it was a shuttle taking off for the colonies, or whether it was some sort of Alliance fighter passing overhead. Milliardo sighed, already anticipating that for the rest of the day, his six year old friend would be discussing the machine and making up fantasies about where it was going and who the people were on it._

_ He rolled over onto his stomach, his eyes drifting across the bay to find the Daegil estates, and then farther east to the royal palaces. He was looking directly at his home when the first bombs hit. He cried out in fear and shock as the sounds of the detonations carried across the water._

_ Pargan snatched up Relena and ran back to the beach, shoving the young Lady to the ground. He sheltered the three crying, screaming children with his body, praying that some Alliance hotshot wouldn't see the "family" on the beach and decide to show off his aim to his buddies. Fortune was with them, with the help of the tall tree, and after a hideously long time, the sounds died away to be replaced by the whine of landing MS. Seeing that all attention was on the smoking city, Pargan climbed to his feet, grabbed the prince by the hand, lifted the four year old princess onto his hip, and rushed them towards the cover of the forest. Milliardo reached back, caught Leila by the hand, and dragged her along too._

_ It was a couple of very hungry days before Duke Kushrenada and Senator Darlian found the loyal servant and the royal children. By that time, an angry prince had made several promises, and the now-Duchess Leila had made just one- to stay by him no matter what he chose to do._

_After Colony 189_

_ "Leila, do sit like a lady," Lady Kushrenada ordered, exasperated by the eleven year old girl who tugged at the tight collar of her new uniform and fidgeted. The girl obediently dropped her hand to her lap, but she argued,_

_ "Madam, I am a cadet in the OZ force as of today. I am no longer a lady. I am a soldier."_

_ The duchess who had taken in two orphans five years before swelled with anger at the insolence of her "niece". She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to behold her handsome young son, already a high ranking officer in the OZ corps._

_ "Treize, now do you see what I tried to warn you of? Encouraging these children, dragging them into the war that killed their parents, even going to far as to suggest to them that they change their names-!"_

_ "Mother," He answered with calm patience. "The Alliance still has a reward posted for any information regarding the location of former Sanc nobility. Zechs certainly couldn't keep his original surname, and if a girl with the name of Daegil was seen tagging along behind a white-haired young man... well, I'm sure that even the Alliance has a sum IQ high enough to realize the implications of that."_

_ He turned and looked at the young girl who could barely contain her excitement at being accepted to the Academy where Milliardo had disappeared off to two years previously. While he had returned home on leave during a couple of vacations, somehow it was not the same. She was positive that as soon as they were together again..._

_ "Itelia," Treize said softly. She looked up at her adored "big brother" and immediately stopped her squirming. He smiled at her. "Cadet Arthen, congratulations on entering the Academy. However..." He paused. "However, you are to be trained for the engineering corps, not as a pilot." Seeing her crestfallen look, he hurried to reassure her, "You shall still see him, have no fear, but you have to agree that your interest in machines makes you a lot more valuable to me- to the Order- as a mechanic. Also- I have made a promise. Zechs wants to protect you; he made me promise that you would not have to see combat."_

_ Itelia parted her lips to protest. Treize cut her off. "He has lost so much. Would you take away the last person in this world he has to rely on?"_

_ "He has you," She argued half-heartedly. Treize smiled indulgently._

_ "I'm his commander Itelia. As I will be yours."_

_ She straightened in her chair, her posture more military-erect. His smile was replaced by a nod of approval._

_ "Officer-Cadet Arthen, your training begins at 0500 Monday morning. Good luck."_

_ She saluted. Treize began to walk out, but at the door, he turned. "One more question: Can you do the impossible?"_

_ She raised her chin. "I always have."_

_ He smiled. "I know you have, Leila."_

_ That was to be the last time she heard her birth name for many years._

_After Colony 192_

_ Neither one of the young officer cadets minded the tree bark that stained their pants, nor the leaves that were stuck in their hair. The young man pushed his sunglasses higher up the bridge of his nose and rearranged himself on his perch in the tree. Above him by two branches, his female friend dropped an apple into his lap and began to munch on a second one for herself._

_ "Shouldn't you be studying?" Zechs admonished her, though he was just as guilty of slacking as she was at the moment. Virtuously, he told himself that since he _had_ actually brought his books, he could study at any time. She was the one who hadn't even brought hers._

_ "Studying?" Itelia asked airily, waving her hand through the air. "Oh, you mean that meaningless slavery that takes away the precious moments of free time they give me in this place. I prefer the company of Mr. Harriot and his animals. Besides," She added, tilting her head mischievously. "If I don't know what I'm doing, I'll make something up and it will work more brilliantly than the established procedures. Entire technologies will come about because of my mistakes, and they will write textbooks defending my supposed genius."_

_ Zechs raised an eyebrow. "At least you're not lacking in confidence," He noted drily. "I don't know how you do so well on your tests."_

_ "Simple- I pay attention in class, and then spend every free moment that I'm not with you in the garage." She pointed out. "I love my work, but I've always done better by actually doing than studying. Have you seen my grades in classes I don't care for?"_

_ Zechs chuckled lightly. He climbed down out of the tree and then offered up a hand to her. Itelia jumped down, and he caught her lightly by the waist, guiding her safely to the ground. As she regained her footing, she looked up at him. Something in that moment, standing so close to her best friend, was different than it had been before, and she blushed before she stepped away, helped him gather their things, and walked with him back into the Academy. Zechs, glancing down at Itelia, found himself wondering if he had ever seen her blush before in her life, and what had caused this one._

_After Colony 193_

_ As Itelia entered the officer's mess, she stood on tiptoe to look over room. Almost everyone there was taller than she was. Zechs spotted her and rose, lifting an arm in greeting. Next to him, Lt. Noin's smile became slightly fixed. The two women's dislike for one another was nearly legendary, but they were civil to one another for one reason- the man who wore a helmet and called them both friend. Itelia dropped into a vacant chair across from _

_ "How's the project going?Have you done the impossible?" Treize asked, coming up on Zech's other side, referencing a little competition going on amongst the most recent Academy engineering graduates to be the one chosen to help design new MS. Itelia sighed and began to poke at a tray of food._

_"I seemed to suggest that there was a way to make a larger version of the Leo without increasing the power pack- apparently all I need is to find a way to make the armor stronger? But considering it wasn't supposed to be a hypothetical question, I suppose my argument that there is a more durable armor than Neo-titanium will cost me points. It was an oral examination- and when I found myself at a loss to describe the effects of the g-force-"  
She broke off, realizing none of them were engineers. "The upshot was that the professor turned dead white when I did my calculations on the board and told me that no one had ever been able to withstand the pressure from verniers that high, that it was impossible." She looked thoughtful. "But that sounds as if it's been tested- and I've never heard of a suit with those capabilities."  
She shook her head. "Anyway, I did perfectly up until then, when he dismissed me. If I suddenly get shipped to Mongolia, you'll know it's a conspiracy and I unleashed something." _

_ Zechs looked at Treize to gauge his reaction. The older officer said nothing, but lifted a hand to his chin and lifted an eyebrow. He was not quite smiling, but his expression was inscrutable. _

_ "Really? You'll have to show me your figures sometime..." He said._

_ "I didn't think you were interested in engineering, Treize," Itelia answered, settling on her salad instead. She- optimistically after the years of experience telling her otherwise- thought that they couldn't ruin one of her favorite foods TOO badly. "But if you want to see the math, I can do that easily."  
She grabbed a napkin and the pen from her pocket and scribbled frantically _

_ "Anyway, congratulations on stumping the examiner! You've now joined the ranks of such wonderful personages as myself... and I suppose Zechs's performance before his flight instructor." Treize teased.  
"You don't have to say it like that," Zechs sniffed. "I may have impressed them somewhat, but it's not like I came up with anything they'd never thought of before, like your tactical analysis."  
"I don't know..." Noin mused. "It seems like it's not that big of a deal to me. I mean, sure, the math says that you would need stronger armor to cope with greater g-forces, but isn't that kind of... apparent?" She glanced back and forth at her friends. "I just don't get why the professor would be so upset over a hypothesis with a simple correlation.  
"There's no need to be so dismissive, Noin," Treize replied. "You never know... our little genius over here may have stumbled on something big." Itelia snorted at his less-than-sincere flattery. He ignored her. "She might have found the future of mobile suits, as it were. He's just jealous that he didn't think of it first."  
"Still, it's not like some magic metal is going to drop out of the sky any time soon," Zechs finally commented, having been chewing his food.  
Treize let out an explosive peal of laughter. His rich, cultured laugh caused a few officers from other tables to stare at him strangely. "Forgive me," he said, recovering quickly. "I just thought of something quite humorous." _

_ Itelia glanced up from her scribbling, shrugged, and returned to the math. Treize took a drink from his glass of water and changed the subject. "Anyway, the officer's club is sponsoring a dance in two weeks. Shall we make plans to attend?" He smiled, not without a hint of irony. It would be shocking if the (in)famous Duke Khushrenada's son didn't attend such a social event. _

_ Itelia smiled. "I'd love to go," She said, truthfully. She loved to dance. "Even if I didn't want to, we-" indicating herself and Noin "-would be practically ORDERED to attend, since there aren't enough female officers to go around."_

_ For a brief moment, she looked wistfully at Zechs. Then, just as quickly, she turned her attention back to the napkin. Looking it over, she then passed it to Treize. "There. My metallic alloy that doesn't exist, or the alternative- a thruster that would inflict torturous g-forces on the pilot."  
The Lt. Colonel looked at her with a knowing smirk as he took it. Itelia caught herself beginning to blush. She snatched back the napkin, scribbled '_You promised!'_ on it, and gave it back. She referred to the time a couple of months ago that he had teased her secret out of her- she knew he still had a hard time believing that a fifteen-year-old girl could hold onto a crush for more than a year... but it was the truth. Treize looked over the napkin, trying not to look too intrigued by what it contained. _

_ "An officers' ball," Noin said thoughtfully. "Well, I suppose... in two weeks' time... it'll be around ... so I'll have to reschedule... I hope I'll be able to go..."  
"My dear Lieutenant Noin," Treize sighed dramatically, tucking the napkin in his pocket, "Surely you can find some time to have fun with your friends. After all, all work and no play makes a sad Type-A."  
Noin's cheeks puffed in irritation at him, and the irrepressible older officer grinned infuriatingly. Blowing out the air in surrender, Noin rested her chin in her hand. "It really would be fun... if I had someone to go with, I suppose..."  
It was silent for a moment. Zechs, who had been eating in silence, looked up to see why his friends had stopped chattering. Itelia jerked her gaze away from him, Noin averted her eyes shyly, and Treize was smiling in his direction. "What? Why is everyone looking at me?" he asked confusedly. Treize started to chuckle, then looked at his watch. "Well, back to the salt mines," He drawled sardonically. _

_ Itelia cracked an imaginary whip, and then leaned over to see the time. Her eyes widened and she jumped to her feet, running off down the hall towards the hanger. Noin (and several other people around her) gaped at Itelia's sudden display. As she ran off, Treize shook his head and chuckled softly. "That's our Itelia... strange but strangely brilliant," he said. He murmured the last two words, and once again seemed to be thinking of something. "I'll see you two later," he called over his shoulder as he went off with the other senior officers.  
"I don't see why she has to be so... rambunctious," Noin said suddenly, her cheeks flushing slightly. Zechs looked at her and cocked an eyebrow under his mask. "That's just Itelia," he answered.  
"Right, of course, I've known you both for years," Noin said quickly, her face definitely turning red now. Zechs looked at her in puzzlement, then rose. "Come, or we'll be late," He pointed out. Noin, grateful for the reprieve, gathered her things and hurried off at her secret love's side._

_After Colony 195_

_ Treize patiently waited Itelia's temper out. Once she had sunk into the chair, he came around his desk and unlocked his office door again. "You designed two suits for the Alliance and did not expect them to arm either?" He asked rhetorically._

_ "Cancer and Pisces were designed for underwater search and recovery," Itelia snapped, her anger not entirely fizzled."Scientific vessels, not vessels for war! Why are they now more tightly armed than many of our Leos? Wasn't my assistance on the Aries enough for them?"_

_ "Ah, but you only assisted the Aries, you didn't actually design it," Treize answered her. "Cancer and Pisces were yours and yours alone. Of course they had to change it. An OZ officer making a peacetime MS? Unthinkable!"_

_ Itelia glared tiredly at him. Treize met her gaze unperterbed._

_ "There's more to this, isn't there?" She asked. "Some reason why they can't leave my designs alone."_

_ "How very astute," Treize answered drily._

_ "Treize..." She sighed. He placed a folder in her hands._

_ "What is this?" She asked, opening it and thumbing through it. Her eyes went directly to the math- math she herself had scribbled on a napkin two years before. "Gundanium..." She breathed, her eyes widening._

_ "Yes. You can see exactly how much the colonies have been harvesting, as opposed to what they're reporting. We're missing enough for several suits. They're planning a war, Itelia, and we're going to need all the suits we can get. What if one of their Gundanium suits is made for underwater combat? We need to be prepared."_

_ "You knew! You knew that Cancer and Pisces weren't going to be used for the purpose I designed them to do!" She leaped to her feet._

_ "Itelia!" He said sharply, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Of course I knew. And you do, too. Why else would you have restored the Tallgeese from factory showpiece to a working model? Why did you start letting people loyal to Zechs know that you had a prototype Leo? You've been preparing for war just as much as I have... and just as much as the colonies have."_

_ She closed her eyes and turned her head away._

_ "Itelia, I'm in a shaky position. The Alliance thinks I take too many liberties, Romefeller thinks I'm building a private army to overthrow them, my father thinks I'm the architect of all of these diplomatic miscommunications... all of these enemies are coming together to undermine everything I do- and by extension my loyal 'followers'."_

_ "I'm not your follower, I'm your friend!" She snapped._

_ "They don't see it that way. They see you and Zechs as fanatical soldiers. So they're going to take everything you do and turn it to their own use. They don't know that I'm not the one you're so devoted to."_

_ "I need your loyalty, Itelia. I'm going to need all the help I can get in the coming months. It's February- who knows how the rest of this year will play out?"_

_ "You do," Itelia answered. "You always are three steps ahead of the rest of us."_

_ "And God willing, I'll stay that way. Or all three of us will be dead."_

_ Reluctantly, understanding everything he didn't-couldn't!- say out loud, she nodded and began to leave. At the door, his voice stopped her,_

_ "Lt. Arthen, about that miniaturization project...?"_

_ "Treize, you ask the impossible," She answered, her voice barely above a whisper._

_ "Ah, but you can do the impossible."_

_ Itelia turned on her heel and walked out._

A/N: And now, you hopefully have enough of a character portrait to know who this woman is as the story unfolds. The rest of this fic will be dedicated to filling in all those blanks I've wondered about over the years as I've watched the series. This fic is a written form of an online RPG utilizing the characters of Gundam Wing, along with several other OC's. I have separated out the threads with my own character- Itelia Arthen/Leila Daegil- and attempt to put it into a readable format. A long time ago, I promised a very dear friend that I would finish writing Date of Destiny. Well, as the years have passed, the character has changed several times, until I barely recognize the old Itelia in her new creation. I've deleted the previous fic and will replace it with this one. However, this time, I will get through the fateful year, focusing exclusively on Itelia, Treize, and Milliardo- especially the way Treize manipulated his closest friends into doing what he felt was necessary to save the world.


End file.
